Shattered and Scattered
by Dana1
Summary: Fourth fic in the Cracks in the Shield Series. Two and a half months can seem like a long time for a group of brothers who are no longer talking to each other. Will they ever fix what happened to their group, or are they meant to always be scattered and shattered?
1. Hell in a Cell

Title: Shattered and Scattered  
Author: Dana  
Rating: PG-13 to be safe  
Warnings: Violence, curse words, mention of some not so nice things possibly.  
Summary: Two and a half months can seem like a long time for a group of brothers who are no longer talking to each other. Will they ever fix what happened to their group, or are they meant to always be scattered and shattered?  
Time Frame: Starts about 2 and a half months after A Broken Shield ends.  
Required reading: This is the 4th fic in my Cracks in the Shield Series. The other fics are Believe in Evolution, Revenge of the Wyatts, and A Broken Shield.  
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone you recognize.

* * *

Roman Reigns entered American Airlines Center in Dallas Texas. It was the night of Hell in a Cell where he would be facing John Cena and Bray Wyatt for the WWE title in a Hell in a Cell match.

He walked over to where his cousins Jimmy and Jey USO stood watching something on a smart phone. "What's going on," he asked when he came up to them.

"Not much," Jimmy said, "we were just listening to Dean Do commentary."

Roman's eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about? Dean's not here doing commentary tonight."

"Not here. This is from last week's Ring of Honor show. It's good." Jey said.

Roman was really confused now. "How can it be last week's? He still works for the WWE."

This time it was his cousins who looked confused. "Roman," Jey said, "Dean hasn't been with the WWE for almost three months. Stephanie released him when she took over stating his ankle injuries wouldn't allow him to come back to the ring. She cut down the No Compete Clause to 30 days."

"Sorry man," Jimmy said, "I thought you knew."

Roman walked away. There seemed to be so much he didn't know lately. He hadn't had a real conversation with Dean Ambrose or spoken to Seth Rollins since they returned from Hawaii. The only bright side was that he knew Seth was no longer with the Wyatts. He just had no idea where he'd gone. How'd he miss the fact that Dean had been fired and in a completely different company? He supposed his ties to CM Punk and Sami Zayn got him into ROH.

He took out his cellphone and dialed Dean's number. He got a message that the phone was either disconnected or no longer in use. Dean had changed is number a while ago not never told Roman what the new number was. Roman hated the fact that both of his brothers had pretty much cut him out of their lives. He didn't know if Seth and Dean were still in contact with each other but he found that highly unlikely considering what had happened to the group. He wondered what happened in the psychiatric office in Hawaii. That was the last time the group had been together. There was so much he didn't know about the situation.

What he did know was Dean left Hawaii with Evolution but not by choice as Randy Orton had said. He pretty much hinted he wasn't in one piece when they got back. He didn't know because Dean refused to talk about it at all.

Seth had left Hawaii by himself after a session with Dr. Walden. Walden had sworn he had nothing to do with Evolution grabbing Dean from the bathroom and said that he had no idea that Seth had planned to back to the mainland. Roman had yet to talk to Seth at all. Seth was ignoring his voicemails.

He also knew he hated this whole situation.

* * *

Dean Ambrose sat in a sports bar with Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. Hell in a Cell was playing in a TV but none of them were watching. All three had their WWE experience and were ready to move on.

Dean had gotten into Ring of Honor thanks to phone calls from different people suggesting they sign him as a commentator. He could only assume they were from CM Punk, Sami Zayn, and maybe Colt Cabana. ROH didn't say who called and he didn't ask. He was going by Jon Moxley again and he was having fun again. The last couple of months in WWE had been pretty much a nightmare. He got out with a broken arm and a career ending ankle injury thanks to his ankle being broken three times in a matter of only a couple of months.

"Who's wrestling," Kaz asked squinting up at a TV monitor.

"Hell if I know," Dean said taking a drink of his beer. "I don't watch it."

Dean had done everything he could to distance himself from WWE and was actually kind of glad when someone from Talent Relations had called him to wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. It was even better when he was told he had to only wait 30 days before going to another company.

"Can I get an autograph," a voice said from next to him. He turned to see a young smiling face in front of him with a piece of paper. He signed it before handing it to Daniels and Kaz.

The fan walked away happy.

"You do realize that you signed it Dean Ambrose right," Kaz asked.

He hadn't. He just signed it without thinking. He shrugged. "He's here to watch the PPV. He probably wouldn't have recognized the name Jon Moxley," he quickly covered up. He had been using the name Dean Ambrose for the last couple of years and it was still taking some getting used to being Jon Moxley again.

"As long as I don't sign it Curryman we'll be okay," Chris said looking up from texting his wife.

Dean took another drink of his beer and surveyed the crowd at the sports bar. There were several families there to watch the PPV. Summerslam and Night of Champions came and gone without him noticing. He would have never realized tonight was a WWE PPV if he hadn't gone there.

"Looks like your boy's got a title match," Chris said pointing at the TV where it was showing a recap of the feud between John Cena/Roman Reigns/Bray Wyatt. His face went a little pale when they started it with the feud between the Shield and the Wyatts. He turned his head away not wanting to see it. He didn't want to think about it. He stood up.

"I need some air," he said before walking away. He went outside and lit a cigarette hoping to calm down. He didn't want to think about anything that had to do with WWE especially the time starting right before Extreme Rules.

* * *

"Mr. Lopez," a voice called.

Seth Rollins turned around to face the nurse who was standing outside of the room with a tray of medication.

"Time for your medication," she said in a cheerful voice.

"Oh come on," Seth with an exaggerated sigh. "I'm being released tomorrow," he reminded her.

"Yes but only if Dr. Johnson signs it," She reminded him. "It's only something to help you sleep."

Seth took the pill and went back to his room. He sat down on his bed. He had been in the psychiatric wing of this hospital for over two months. Dr. Chabot had suggested he get help as an impatient so he wouldn't have to worry about Bray Wyatt coming to get him. The sessions with Dr. Johnson had helped and they had found the trigger and he was able to get through it. The doctor said he was ready to return to the real world. He was nervous about that. What if there was a trigger the doctor hadn't found? What if he went after Roman and Dean again?

The last few months had been tough. No one else but his family and Dr. Chabot knew where he was. He had been checked in under his real name and had washed out the blond streaks. No one had come up to him and asked, "aren't you Seth Rollins?"

He closed his eyes as he started to get sleepy. He hoped for another night without nightmares.

* * *

Notes: Hope you liked the first chapter. All three guys have baggage but will they be able to reunite? Stay tuned to find out!


	2. Photographs

Roman returned to his motel room later that night not in the best of moods. He had lost the Hell in a Cell match with Bray Wyatt retaining. He could no longer fool himself with the idea that Bray needed Rowan and Harper's help to retain the title.

When he had made his way backstage he found Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley standing there. He walked up to her. "Why did you fire Dean Ambrose," he demanded.

"It's been two months since he was fired and you are asking that now? Here I thought you didn't care that he was fired." Her face lit up. "You didn't know did you? I guess it is true. The Shield has crumbled. This is great. As for why, he's no use to us. He can't wrestle anymore and we don't need any more agents. We already have too many of those as is. From what I understand, he was glad to hear that he had been released from his contract. I'd fire Seth Rollins myself if I could figure out where he is. I guess you are the only member of the Shield who didn't run away when the pressure became too much."

Roman barely held back the urge to hit her. If she wasn't a woman he would have.

"Is there anything else you want to say Roman," she asked. "I have a meeting to go to." Roman shook his head and she walked away.

Roman was brought back to the present when he saw the red message light on his hotel phone. He listened to it. There was a message from the front desk saying that they had something for him at the front desk. He went downstairs. "Hello. My name is Joe Anoa'i. I had a message saying you had something for me?"

The woman nodded. She reached under the counter and pulled out a small box. "This was dropped off for you earlier."

"Thanks," Roman said before going back to his room. He opened the box. Inside he found a piece of paper. It was typed and read:

There's a rumor going around that he won't tell anyone what happened. Here are pictures for you to see what did.

It was unsigned.

Roman took the pictures and looked at them. His temper rose and he felt sick at the same time. He picked up his cellphone and dialed a number he knew was useless. He searched through his address book until found another number e was looking for. It rang a couple of times before someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"I need Dean's new number and I know you have it."

"Roman," CM Punk asked, "Is that you?"

"Yes," Roman said barely keeping his temper in check. "Look I need Dean's new phone number and I know you have it."

"Look Roman," Punk said, "Dean asked me not to give out the number to anyone. I'll call him and let him know that you want to talk to him."

"Let him know I received pictures of what happened to him."

Punk was silent for a moment. "Is it as bad as I think it was?"

"Probably worse." Roman said throwing the pictures into the box.

"I'll pass along the message but I make no promises that he'll call you back."

"I understand." Roman said before hanging up. Next time he saw Evolution, he was going to kill them. He never realized how much he couldn't protect his brothers.

* * *

Dean had just walked into his apartment in Philadelphia when his cellphone started to ring. He looked down at the caller ID even though very few people knew his new phone number. It was Punk.

"Hello," he said.

"It's me. I just got off the phone with Roman Reigns and he wants you to call him. He said he received pictures of what happened to you and wants you to call him right away."

Dean almost dropped the keys in his hand. They took pictures? He hadn't wanted to tell anyone what happened and Roman was sent pictures of it? Well he was definitely not going to call Roman. Pity wasn't something he wanted or needed.

"Are you going to call him," Punk asked.

"No I don't want or need his pity. I'd appreciate it if you don't give him my phone number either. Look I'm tired and have a long day tomorrow. Bye," he said and hung up.

What was Stephanie up to? He wondered. Why couldn't she leave him alone?

* * *

The next morning Seth went into Dr. Johnson's office and took his normal spot on the couch. Dr. Johnson wasn't there yet, so Seth turned to stare out the window.

"Hello Colby," Dr. Johnson said five minutes later. "Sorry I'm late. I was talking to the hospital board and you'll be happy to know you've been discharged."

Seth didn't know how he felt about that. He was still scared. "Am I ready," he asked.

"Yes I believe you are. We've gone through every possible scenario and you've passed with flying colors. I wouldn't have gone to the board if I didn't think were ready. Colby I think you are ready to return to everything even wrestling though I think you might want to start small like with that place you were in before? Ring of Honor?"

"Yeah if they'll take me," Seth said. WWE had notified his parents that since he had gone AWOL, he was in breach of contract and had been fired. His parents said they'd get him a lawyer but he just didn't care about the WWE anymore. This way he could really be far away from Bray Wyatt.

"So when am I out of here?"

* * *

Notes: About the contradiction. Stephanie said she'd fire Seth herself. She's assuming Roman doesn't know about that either and technically she's right. They told Seth's parents that he was fired.


	3. Night Off

Roman received a text message Monday that read:

_Gave him the message he's not calling sorry._

Roman supposed he really shouldn't have been surprised Dean wasn't going to call him. Dean didn't want to talk to him at all for some reason though the pictures did explain Dean wanting to leave the WWE. He got out of his rental car and went into the arena. He was on a mission to find Evolution and/or the Authority. He was going to get revenge on Dean's behalf.

As soon as he entered the arena, Billy Kidman and Mike Rotunda approached him. "Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley wanted us to tell you that you aren't needed tonight," Kidman said.

"I bet she did," Roman said, "I want to talk to her. Where's her office?"

Billy and Mike exchanged looks knowing that this wasn't going to end well. "She asked that we make sure you leave the building," Mike said.

"Mike you don't want to mess with me tonight," Roman said turning his attention to the man who once wrestled as Irwin R. Scheister. "Your son Bray is responsible for most of this." He reminded him. "And your son Bo broke Dean's ankle the second time."

Mike looked away.

"So show me where his office is," Roman said pushing past them. It didn't take much searching to find the office. He opened the door and stepped inside.

Stephanie was sitting at her desk talking to someone on the phone. Her eyes went wide when she saw who came in. "I'll have to call you back," she said before hanging up the phone. "What are you doing in here?" She demanded.

"I know you were the one who left the pictures at my motel," he went closer to her desk.

"What pictures," Stephanie asked her eyes starting to blink.

"The ones showing what evolution did to Dean the three days they had him. I should take the pictures to the cops.

"Roman I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't send you any pictures! I also don't know what kind of pictures they would be of. I…" her voice trailed off as Roman put a picture on her desk. She picked it up and looked at it. Her face blanched momentarily before she handed the picture back to Roman. She didn't say anything.

"I want a match with Randy Orton."

"I gave you the night off so I can't do that. Actually all of Evolution has the night off tonight to get ready for the European tour. I thought you'd appreciate the extra day to spend with your daughter and fiancé."

"I'm already here Stephanie," he reminded her. "I'm not going to get home to Florida any sooner."

"Well I'm not giving you a match tonight. And if you don't leave the arena, I will fire you just like I fired Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins!" She was so angry at Roman's defiance she hadn't realized her mistake until it was too late.

"You fired Seth too? Did you have your guys do that to him?" He asked pointing at the picture.

"No. He was fired because I'm tired of wrestlers going AWOL. First CM Punk and now Seth Rollins. His parents said they don't know where Seth is. This is my company now and I will not let things keep going the way my father ran in! Now get out of the arena or you're fired."

Roman glared at her before leaving the office. When he stepped out he saw John Cena walking down the hall so he stopped him. They hadn't been exactly friends but they weren't enemies. "Hey John. Have you seen Orton?"

"No. I heard Evolution was all given the night off. She said the Authority decided to celebrate. Hey I heard you were given the night off as well."

"Yeah Stephanie said she gave me the day off so I could spend time with Joelle and Michelle before the European tour and then threatened to fire me if I didn't leave the building."

John shook his head. "Stephanie's up to something. I wasn't given the day off so it must be a plan for me."

"She'll probably have you face all three Wyatts blindfolded." He saw Stephanie talking to security so he walked out a side door. If Evolution wasn't there, he'd just have to find them himself.

* * *

Seth stepped onto an airplane for the first time since he left Hawaii. He was flying home to Davenport Iowa. He was trying to be inconspicuous in his reading glasses. He settled down in his aisle seat. The middle seat was empty and a business man was sitting in the window seat. He sat back and hoped the business man wasn't a talker. He did know of one way to shut him up. He could tell him where he had been the last couple of months. Thankfully for both of them the man wasn't a talker.

When he exited the plane in Iowa, he found his parents waiting for him. After hugs from both of them, they left the airport.

"What are your plans now," his father asked as he started the car.

"Don't know yet. I'm going to try to contact Cary Silkin at Ring of Honor. Stephanie said it was only a 30 day no compete clause right?"

'Yes," his mother answered. "I hope you go back to Ring of Honor," she said. "You were happy there."

"I was happy in WWE until the thing with Evolution started. Has, uh, Dean or Roman tried to contact me?"

"Roman calls at least once a week. As per your request, we didn't tell him anything. We haven't heard from Dean at all. Neither has Roman it sounds like."

They rode in silence until they arrived at Seth's apartment.

Mrs. Lopez got out of the car. "I filled your fridge with some food. Are you sure you don't want to stay with us?"

"I'll be fine mom," Seth said giving her a hug. He went into his house. His mother must have done some cleaning because it was cleaner than when he left it.

He wasn't hungry so he sat on his couch and searched for Cary Silkin's phone number.

The phone rang a couple of times before someone answered. "Hello?"

"Cary?"

"Yes. Who's this?"

"This is Seth Rollins," he said taking a deep breath. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about the possibility of coming back to Ring of Honor."

"I'd love to talk to you about that though I thought you were with the WWE."

"I was but I was fired and my 30 day no compete clause is over."

"Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley seems to be firing people lately." Cary said with a sigh.

"Yeah," Seth said though he wasn't sure what he was talking about."

"Seth," Cary said, "are you sure you are okay? I heard about what happened with the Wyatts."

"I'm okay. I got help for that."

"Why don't you come up for the TV tapings in Chicago Ridge," Cary said, "next week? We can talk about it then."

"Sounds good. I'll see you then."

They hung up. Seth sat back thinking things were going his way.


	4. Face to Face

Notes: This takes place about a week later.

* * *

Dean Ambrose went into the Field House in Chicago Ridge Illinois for the next Ring of Honor show. As soon as he was in the building, Cary Silkin approached him. "Dean can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure Dean said and followed him into a small room that he was using as an office.

"Have a seat," he did. "I just wanted to let you know we are thinking about bringing someone back to Ring of Honor and I thought you should know before I do. This will affect you more than anyone else."

Dean had a feeling it wasn't Punk. "Who is it?"

The door opened and in walked Seth Rollins. "Sorry to interrupt. Someone said you were in here…" his voice trailed off when he saw who else was in the room. "I, uh, can come back."

"It's okay Seth," Cary said. "I was just going to talk to Dean about it. Why don't you wait outside and we'll talk after."

Seth left the room.

"Sorry I wanted to talk to you before he arrived. It seems Seth was also fired from WWE and was hoping to come back to ROH. I've heard about what happened with your group, or perhaps the rumors would be the right word. I want to know how you'd feel about Seth coming back."

Dean sat back and thought about it. Part of him was worried this was some plot but Stephanie fired Seth so maybe Seth wasn't with the Wyatt's anymore. He rubbed at his shoulder as he thought more about it. He didn't have an answer for Cary at the moment. "I don't know," he said truthfully.

Cary nodded his understanding. "I'm going to talk to Seth and see how things are. I can ask if he minds you being here when I do."

"Okay."

Cary left the room and came back with Seth. Cary sat at a desk and Seth sat in the other chair in the room. He didn't look at Dean as he did.

"Seth I would love to have you back in ROH," Cary started, "but since Dean is also here, I'm concerned about there being a big fight between the two of you."

"My problems with the Wyatts are past me. I got help and I don't think Bray's going to come here at least I hope he won't be." He added quickly. "I can handle it." He finally turned to look at Dean. "I really am sorry for what happened to you and Roman and for anything I did."

Dean fidgeted with the drawstring on his hoody. "I don't care either way if Seth comes back to ROH," he finally said. "I'm sure it'll be great for the company." He stood up. "I need to get ready for tonight." He said before leaving the office. Seth grimaced at the noticeable limp.

Seth turned to Cary who simply said, "when can you start?"

* * *

"Dean," Seth called as he left the office. Dean stopped, turned around, and faced him. "How are you doing?" He asked.

"Okay."

"Have you talked to Roman?"

"Nope."

"Is Roman still with the WWE?"

"Yep."

"Am I only going to get one word answers?"

"Yep." Dean said before walking away.

Seth was left standing there at a loss for what to do. Seeing Dean was the last thing he expected when he entered the building earlier. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. Dean didn't exactly look happy to see him. It wouldn't be easy to repair their friendship. If dean was bitter about it he couldn't blame him. He wasn't exactly happy about it either.

* * *

Roman left the building where the house show had been held in London England. It had been a good show as he had been able to get his hands on Cesaro. Randy Orton and Dave Batista were not on the show because their parole officer wouldn't sign off on it. Or at least that's what Stephanie had said. He thought she was up to something and worried about Dean and Seth's safety.

He stopped and signed autographs with a forced smile on his face. He was tired due to jet lag and just wanted to go to his hotel to sleep. He had just signed his last autograph when a question stopped him in mid signature.

"How do you feel about Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose both being in Ring of Honor?" A man asked.

Roman looked up at him. "I didn't know they were."

"It's all over the internet that Seth Rollins was spotted at the Ring of Honor show yesterday."

"Thanks for letting me know," he said before walking over to where Jimmy, Jae, and Naomi were waiting for him. "Did you know Seth signed with Ring of Honor?" He asked.

"No," Jimmy said, "that's good right? Maybe Dean and Seth are talking." He knew Roman was upset about not being able to talk to Dean and had seen the pictures. He wanted to get his hands on Evolution himself.

They all got into the rental car.

Roman took his phone out and sent a text to Seth. It read: _Hey just heard you are with ROH_

A few minutes later he received a response.

_Yeah just resigned. So you're still with WWE?_

Roman replied. _Yep. For some reason Stephanie kept me. Do you have Dean's new cellphone number?_

_Didn't know he had a new one. Dean's not talking to me. He's still mad._

Roman frowned. He was hoping to get the phone number. He replied: _He's not talking to me either._

_I've gotta go._

Roman closed his phone as he sat back in the car. He hoped one day he could sit down with his best friends but it kept seeming less and less likely as time went on.


	5. Plotting

Stephanie was furious. The European tour had gone better than she could have hoped but the Roman Reigns problem was still there. She had gotten rid of Ambrose and Rollins but Reigns wasn't easy to get rid of. She knew the only thing left she could do was get Roman to quit on his own and she knew she could do it. She picked up her phone and called one of her 'assistants'. "Hello? It's Stephanie. What do you know about the status of the Shield?"

* * *

Roman walked into RAW in an okay mood for once. He and Seth had exchanged texts a couple of times but neither were successful in getting Dean to talk to them. Roman wondered how Dean managed that while in the same company as Seth.

Roman wasn't one bit surprised when Jamie Noble and Billy Kidman approached him. "What now?" He asked.

Jamie grinned but Billy was the one who spoke. "Stephanie wanted us to let you know you have a match with Batista tonight in a Beat the Clock match to see who will face Bray Wyatt at Survivor Series."

"What's the catch?" There was no way Stephanie would give him town things he wanted without a match.

"None that we heard of," Jamie said, "except you have to have a faster time against Batista."

Roman walked to his locker room and started to change. Corey Graves, who had recently been called up, was also in the locker room. He hadn't spoken to Corey since Seth sent him to Chicago a couple of months ago.

"So I heard that Seth and Dean ditched you again," Corey said as he laced up his boots. Just like they did to me in Florida."

"Look Seth wasn't thinking straight," Roman reminded him. "Dean had to be the voice of reason and they both were fired from WWE so they didn't ditch me."

"Whatever you say man," Corey said not believing what he said. "You knew it was bound to happen."

"What was bound to happen?" He asked.

"That they were going to ditch you Roman. It's why Triple H wanted Ambrose and not you. He's a better wrestler. Obviously he already had other plans for Seth. Now they are in ROH probably not even thinking about you."

Roman didn't try to pretend to hide how much that hurt. He knew Corey was just trying to get to him but no matter how much he wanted to deny it, he knew it was true. He just pushed past Corey and left the locker room.

* * *

Seth walked into the sports bar in Philadelphia. He knew it was a popular hang out with the wrestlers of ROH. He had just returned from a tour with ROH and wanted to relax. He took a look around the room and spotted Kaz sitting at a table with his wife Tracy. He was the only person he saw from ROH so he walked up to them.

"Can I join you," he asked.

"Sure," Tracy said moving over. "Jon's not coming right?" She asked Kaz.

"No," Kaz answered. "He said he had to catch a flight to Florida for an appointment today with Dr. Andrews."

Seth knew they were talking about Dean.

"How's his ankle," Tracy asked.

"Still bothers him if he does a lot of walking," Kaz said his eyes landing on Seth for a brief second before continuing. "He's worried he'll need another surgery and he absolutely doesn't want another surgery."

Seth fidgeted with his watch band. It was weird to hear someone else talk about Dean's worries and stubbornness. It made him realize he may have lost one of his best friends forever.

* * *

Dean walked into his hotel not one bit happy with what Dr. Andrews had said. The screws in his ankle were becoming a problem and Dr. Andrews wanted to perform another surgery right away to fix it. Dean told him he would get back to him.

His phone started to ring. He looked down and saw it was Joey Mercury. Joey was the only person in WWE, other than probably AJ, who had his new cellphone number and that was only after Joey swore not to give it out to anyone.

"Hey Joey," he said.

Click

Dean looked down at his phone. That was weird. Why would Joey call and then hang up? He hit redial it rang a few times but no one answered. He shrugged and put the phone down. He didn't think anything of it.


	6. All Out

Notes: This fic most likely won't be updated again before 10/26.

* * *

Joey Mercury returned to NXT after realizing he had forgotten his cellphone though he was sure he had put it in his jacket pocket. He unlocked the door to the Performance Center and locked it behind him before heading to his office. He turned on his light and found his phone lying in the middle of his desk. He turned it on and he saw there was a missed call from someone only labeled as DeMox who he called. It rang a few times before it was answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi Dean it's me. Sorry I missed your call. I left my cellphone in my office."

"You called me and then hung up." There was silence for a moment. "Someone used your phone to call me!"

"Why would someone take my phone to call you? I didn't have your name listed in my address book."

"Doesn't matter," Dean said. "I'm changing my number and not giving you the new one!"

"I'll just get it from Punk," Joey said and could almost feel Dean's glare through the phone. "What exactly would they do with your phone anyway?"

"I don't know," Dean admitted, "but I'm not taking any chances. You have no idea what they are capable of," he said before disconnecting.

Joey hung up wondering who had taken his phone and how they had gotten into his office. Was Dean in the right for being paranoid? Was he even being paranoid? He really hoped the answer to both of those questions was no.

* * *

Roman arrived at RAW ready for anything Stephanie threw at him. He had received a text from Seth saying that Dean might need another ankle surgery but that was something he had heard from someone else. Dean was refusing to talk to Seth as well.

He was pleased to see that Billy Kidman and Jamie Noble were not waiting for him this time. This didn't necessarily mean that Stephanie didn't have something planned for him.

He walked to his locker room and put his bag down. He was about to get dressed for the show when a Production Assistant came up to him and handed him an envelope before walking away.

Roman opened the envelope and found two pictures inside. The first was a picture of Seth with the Wyatts. The second was a picture of Dean with the previous Evolution group. There was a typed note read: Just remember. You can't protect them if you aren't there.

Roman crumpled up the note. This was Stephanie's newest strategy. She kept trying to remind him that he was supposed to be the protector of the Shield and he failed to protect Dean from the attacks and kidnapping and failed to protect Seth from being brainwashed by Bray Wyatt. As if he needed someone else to remind him of how much he had failed his brothers. He got ready for the show.

* * *

_Would you just talk to them?_

Dean stared at the text a week later. No he would not talk to them. He had been lucky enough to avoid having a conversation with Seth. He made a mental note not to give Punk or AJ his cellphone number either.

_No. _He responded.

_But Dean and Roman need to talk to you._

Dean sighed. He could almost hear AJ's whine in her text. Punk didn't care if he ever contacted Roman or Seth again but his wife evidently did. Punk understood his need to distance himself from the WWE better than anyone. After all, he had quit the night after the 2014 Royal Rumble. Dean sent one more text before he turned his phone off.

_No._

He got up and limped over to his refrigerator and opened the door to the freezer and filled a Ziploc bag full of ice. His ankle was really bothering him today. He wished he could say it was mental from the fear of needing another surgery but knew it wasn't.

There was a knock on the door and he wondered who could possibly be at his door. He limped over and looked through the peephole and looked through it before opening the door. He was not happy when he opened his front door and found Seth and Roman standing on the other side of it. His first instinct was to close the door in their faces but he hesitated.

"Can we come in," Roman asked, "we need to talk to you. It's something you should hear from us."

Dean looked over at Seth who had a worried look on his face. It was the same look he had on his face at the Performance Center before he carried him out of the building. He let them in.

"You might want to sit down." Roman suggested. Dean, always one to do the opposite of what he's told, chose to stand. "I got a call from our lawyer that said Triple H has been released from prison."

Dean sat down in a chair. "How is that even possible?" He could understand the Wyatts being released from prison and even Orton and Batista but the evidence had been solid and even Triple H's overpaid lawyers couldn't save him.

"Overcrowding in the prisons," Seth said. "Somehow the parole board decided Hunter wasn't a danger to society."

"They obviously didn't ask anyone in WWE," Dean said his hand going to rub his ankle. "I guess the only one of us in trouble is you Roman. Stephanie got rid of Seth and me."

Roman gave him a look. "Remember what Hunter was yelling when they dragged him away? He said he'd get us for this."

"I thought that was the point of having his stooges destroy my ankle and brainwashing Seth. I mean other than Stephanie taunting you every week. You seem fine Roman."

Roman glared at him. This wasn't exactly how he pictured his first real conversation in months with Dean going. "You think I'm fine in WWE," Roman demanded his voice dropping low. "Corey Graves has decided to go after me for what Seth pulled in Florida. Stephanie is determined to make me quit. I can't trust anyone in the locker room and this is the first conversation I've had with you in months."

Dean didn't say anything.

Seth finally spoke up. "Calm down Roman. Dean and I both know you haven't had an easy time in WWE." He turned to face Dean. "We need to stay united for when Hunter strikes. I know you are angry for everything that's happened, but it wasn't Roman or my faults."

"Dean I know some of what Evolution did and I wish I could have stopped them."

Dean didn't say anything. It appeared the window of conversation had slammed shut. The Shield was no longer united and that worried Roman.


	7. Reunion

Two weeks later Dean entered the sports bar and found it mostly deserted which was something he had been hoping for. He did not want to see Seth. Every time he saw Seth, the younger man tried to start a conversation but Dean refused to talk to him. He ordered his usual beer and sat down at a table in front of one of the wide screen TVs that was showing a Philadelphia Flyers game. He tried his hardest to ignore the hockey game. He still couldn't stand hockey after that one night.

An hour later Seth showed up and walked directly over to Dean and sat down. Dean immediately stood up.

"Dean I don't know why you won't talk to me," Seth said.

Dean just looked at Seth and shook his head. "I have nothing to say to you Seth," he started to walk away and Seth followed him.

"We need to talk about Hunter," Seth said as they walked out of the sports bar. "Roman is saying no one's heard or seen Hunter since he was released from prison."

"Would they tell him if they did," Dean asked spinning around to face him. They both knew the answer to that question.

"Probably not," Seth said. "Shit! Look out!" Seth yelled shoving him hard. Dean went down hitting his head on a table on the way down.

* * *

Dean woke up with a groan his head was throbbing but he didn't know why. He tried to sit up and got woozy and lay back down. What happened? He wondered. Last thing he remembered he had been trying to get away from Seth who was trying to have another conversation with him. He didn't know why Seth and Roman kept trying to pressure him into talking. He didn't want to talk to them. Why couldn't they understand that?

"Dean?" A voice asked from somewhere behind him.

"Seth?" He asked. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Seth said. "I remember seeing Orton and Heyman but I don't remember anything else."

Dean felt a shiver go down his spine when he heard those names. He didn't remember seeing them but Seth must have. It all came back to him. He remembered Seth pushing him away…he had hit his head on the table and that was it. Now he knew why Seth had pushed him.

Dean tried to sit up again and then tried to stand up and let out a yelp as he put pressure on his ankle. He felt down and realized it was swollen. Looks like he'd probably be talking to Dr. Andrews again after all he thought. It wasn't broken but this couldn't be good.

"Have you seen them yet?" Dean asked as he sat down on the ground again. Seth reached out and started feeling his ankle.

"Not yet. I woke up not long before you did. That's your bad ankle right? Damn."

"Yeah," Dean said with a sigh. "At least it's not broken." He stopped talking as it felt weird to be talking to Seth again but at the moment it looked like he had no choice. "Is Roman here?"

"No not that I know of anyway. Roman went back on the road with WWE."

The overhead lights turned on and Dean shut his eyes to block out the light.

"Good you're awake," Hunter's voice boomed as he walked down the stairs. He was followed by Heyman and Cesaro. As far as Dean could see, Orton and Batista weren't with them.

Seth tensed as someone started humming and soon Bray Wyatt came down the stairs. Seth put his hands over his ears not wanting to hear it. He was still scared that he wasn't past the triggers that Bray had put in his head.

Hunter smirked as he came closer. Dean Struggled to a standing position and took a wild swing at Hunter who just kicked him in his ankle and he went down hard clutching at his ankle. Seth got up next and threw a punch. He and Hunter started fighting until Cesaro was able to pull Seth off of Hunter

"Looks like you broke free," Bray said reaching a hand out to Seth. "I can fix that."

Hunter looked down at Dean and said, "You can do what you want with Seth but Dean's ours."


End file.
